The Eye of a Needle
Ka Lyrics

I sketch picture of stress, picturesque
I draw a beautiful picture of the hardship and anxiety, making it seem like a work of art.

As boys try make noise with hits, start pitchin' less
As young boys attempt to establish their dominance through physical aggression, they become quieter as their confidence falters.

From hurtin' blocks where workin' spots was big success
Growing up in neighborhoods filled with poverty and violence, having a job seemed like a major accomplishment.

Stack digits, how you act when get it's the biggest test
Achieving financial success is a major challenge, and how one handles it can determine their character and values.

Alert nights, liftin' dirt bikes the kid impressed
Staying awake during the night, lifting and riding dirt bikes, was the ultimate achievement for this young boy.

Those full of hustle pull a muscle or did a stretch
Those who are constantly hustling to succeed may suffer injuries or serve time in jail (a stretch).

They mumble lessons in jungles sessions, sippin' blessed
People speak life lessons in informal gatherings, drinking religiously blessed beverages.

All I heard was, "Don't sleep", I ain't get the rest
All the artist heard was advice to stay alert and be cautious, but it did not help him rest.

It's a penny for the thoughts
The artist is only offering their thoughts on this matter.

After dice, never gave a penny for them walks (never)
After gambling, the artist never donated any money for any charitable walks.

My past bent me, see it half-empty
The singer's past experiences have negatively affected their perspective, causing them to see things in a pessimistic manner.

My theme's still tryin' get to clean from last century
The artist's message is still focused on the idea of cleansing oneself from the negative impact of the past century.

Was true and kids, grew and lived through some tryin' years
The singer was a truthful child who grew up and lived through difficult times.

My road land me from nose candy to pioneers
The path that led the singer from using drugs (nose candy) to a position of leadership is their own road to success.

The style Ka utter is highbrow gutter
The singer's style is a mixture of sophisticated language and vulgar slang.

Even though the sound's brown, the crowd's now hover
The crowd is now attracted to the artist's music despite its unconventional sound.

Can't appreciate winnin' if one never fails
One cannot truly appreciate the success of winning if they have never experienced the feeling of failure.

Played on games of chance, I gotta have the tails
The singer plays risky games, like flipping a coin, and prefers tails over heads.

Penny for the thoughts
The singer is again offering their thoughts with this repetition.

In the summertime, I had a semi in my shorts
The artist had a gun (a semi-automatic weapon) in their shorts during the summer.

At ten, visit cousins in the pen'
The artist would visit their cousins in prison when they were only ten years old.

Even then I had some hawks
Even as a child, the artist had people watching out for their safety (hawks).

Nickels with the grips
The singer held onto nickels with a tight grip (meaning they were impoverished).

Had dimes tell me that they love me
People who were better off (dimes) would express love for the artist.

For our appetites, we burned major
We were willing to do whatever it took to satisfy our desires, even if it meant making major sacrifices.

Had to sacrifice all to earn favor
To gain respect and admiration, the singer had to sacrifice everything.

Fly visitors become food, never return flavor
People who come to visit the singer are treated as food but never return the favor.

It's a coarse life course, you don't get to learn later
Life is a difficult journey, and one must learn from their experiences as they happen instead of reflecting later.

We chose shortsighted goals not sought so far
We only focused on the immediate goals and did not think far into the future.

Chalkin' up my tortures how I taught y'all
The singer is sharing the lessons learned through their hardships.

Losers die, winners caught a war scar
Non-winners receive severe consequences, but those who win may obtain scars from battling to the top.

We only sayin' fuck what they enforce, got a sports car
We do not care about following what rules they impose, and instead, we focus on enjoying our material possessions, like a sports car.

In the dreams of cuttin' nets to move some nicks
The artist envisions achieving success by making incremental gains, which would eventually lead to cutting a larger net (like a basketball net) to reveal their success.

Crossed many with the semi, did my time on the crucifix
The artist has harmed many people with their weapon (a semi-automatic gun), and they feel as though they have suffered for it.

Bleedin' all the grievin' made us extra grievous
We became even more mournful as we continued to experience emotional pain.

Would've told Kev I love him if I knew he was next to leave us
The artist would have expressed their love to their friend Kev if they had known he was going to die soon.

Power that be tryin' to deceive us, best believe us
The people in power are attempting to trick and manipulate us, but we are aware of their intentions.

Holdin' court, won't let the control and alt, delete us
Despite trying to manipulate us, the singer is in control and will not let anyone delete them.

To defeat us, the wicked brew poison blend
Those who want to defeat us will create a concoction of poison to harm us.

The skinniest toothpick grew quick from boys to men
The weakest person may become stronger and mature into a man over time.

While I scored, many felt the sword, not enjoyed the pen
While the artist found success, many others suffered and experienced negative consequences.

Call when it broil friend, I'm loyal to the voyage end
If things become difficult, the singer will stay loyal to their journey and see it through to the end.

Rapidly keep my eyes movin' I couldn't fall in REM
The singer must stay on guard and remain alert, preventing themselves from falling into a deep and restful REM sleep.

Some equality, none in poverty, I'll be joyous then
The artist wants to achieve an equal distribution of wealth and opportunities to be truly happy.

And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering
This line is a biblical reference to when God accepts Abel's offering over Cain's in the book of Genesis.

As I'm able-bodied
The artist is drawing a connection between the biblical reference and their own able-bodied state.

Put food on that table as long as I'm able-bodied
The singer will continue to provide for themselves and their family as long as they are physically able.

But unto Cain and his offering he had not respect
This line refers to how God did not accept Cain's offering in the Bible.